Bears Blitz

Published by Andre' Floyd on January 25, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Adversity.

We all face it.

However, it’s how we respond to and learn from those adversities that makes us who we are, and ultimately how successful we’ll become.

There is no better microcosm for life than sports. There are countless dots to connect and life lessons to extract from the sports world that are applicable to the real world.

Add the fact that just about every athlete we watch makes more money than most of us ever will, and suddenly life is thrown into sharp relief. Things become very black and white—yes or no, do or don’t.

So when an insanely talented athlete with millions in the bank and more pouring in, sits on the sideline in the biggest moment of his life looking like he’s listening to a Ben Stein lecture, it’s a problem.

The debate seems to have boiled down to questioning the severity of the injury and pain tolerance—that’s a circular argument.

Sure, Philip Rivers (torn ACL), Emmitt Smith (separated shoulder), Ronnie Lott (amputated finger), Brett Favre (purple ankle) and Jack Youngblood (broken tibia) are all very credible examples of fighting through pain to achieve a goal. But the issue with Jay Cutler is far deeper than anything that might show up on an X-ray or MRI.

In the biggest moment of Jay Cutler’s career, the moment some players never reach, the moment any player sitting at home would sacrifice anything short of his first born for, Jay seemed resigned and uninterested.

Never once was he seen taking snaps from the backup center, trying to find ways to work through his pain. He rode a stationary bike and sulked on the sideline in an oversized jacket, while third-string QB Caleb Hanie held the Bears’ season in his hands.

It’s not always about what you do—sometimes it’s about what you don’t do.

Cutler did nothing.

In the biggest job interview of his life, he took a bathroom break, sent his mailman in to finish the interview and sat quietly in the lobby awaiting the results.

Sometimes it’s not about your qualifications, it’s about how much you want it.

An injured and moping Jay Cutler did nothing to inspire his team. Had he taken a few snaps on the sideline, participated in team discussions and rallied the players around young Caleb Hanie, the result might have been different.

Even when Hanie responded with a quick touchdown strike to keep the Bears within seven, Cutler showed no emotion. He continued to sit on the bench like a kid in detention forced to watch his classmates have all the fun.

NFL players are part of a fraternity. They’ll never turn their backs on one of their brothers. Through court cases and public scandals, they offer their support. There is no better evidence of this than following professional athletes via Twitter. They’re all fans of each other.

The only way to garner mistrust among this tightly-knit family is to betray the fraternity.

It’s long been suspected that Jay Cutler is a guy who just so happens to have a unique ability to throw a football, but isn’t a football player. That’s why the Twitter backlash from current and former NFL players rained fast and furious.

Brian Urlacher’s forced defense of Jay Cutler chalked it up to jealousy. In a sense, he’s right. Most players would deliberately sprain their MCLs right now if it meant they had a shot at a Super Bowl. The blood, sweat and tears of an NFL season all come down to one game…is it too much to ask for a quarterback to look like he cares?

I know Jay Cutler isn’t the typical fiery athlete, but this goes deeper than personality traits. If being given a chance to prove you’re the best at what you do doesn’t excite you, you’ve chosen the wrong profession.

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